Freshman drains first half-court ‘Shot for Tuition’ in four years

January 26, 2018 at 3:44 pm

The odds of hitting a half-court shot, according to ESPN, are roughly one in 100.

That makes freshman Tucker Brown — who hit Belmont’s infamous “Shot for Tuition” at Sunday’s game against Austin Peay — a pretty special individual.

Brown signed up for his chance at the rarely-made, half-court shot with little expectation of being chosen. It was shocking then, when Brown received a call from Assistant Director of Athletic Marketing David Fish, letting him know his name had been picked.

“My first thought was just to not fall over and embarrass myself, and other than that I just knew not to leave it short,” Brown said. “And afterward it was all a blur.”

Most “Shot for Tuition” attempts leave the crowded Curb Event Center disappointed. In fact, nobody’s made the shot from half-court since now-Belmont alumni JT Faircloth sank his unbelievable second in a row in 2014.

Since then, dozens of students have tried. Few have even come close.

But Brown’s shot had power, direction and maybe just enough luck to bounce off the backboard and slip through the hoop.

The crowd erupted into cheers. Belmont’s cheerleaders lifted Brown into the air.

“It was crazy,” he said.

Brown played basketball in high school, but even then, shots like this were few and far between, he said.

“My sister was in the student section, so when I got back to the student section, she already had my parents on FaceTime,” Brown said. “They didn’t believe it until they saw the video.”

Brown’s parents pay for his tuition, so they were very happy to hear the news, he said.

“It definitely put me on their good side.”

Since making the half-court shot, Brown has received congratulations from all across campus, but really, he’s just thankful he got the chance to try.

“Thanks to Bob Fisher for doing that,” Brown said. “Thanks for the opportunity.”

The “Shot for Tuition,” even though Brown just made his, will continue through the rest of the home season.

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